The Right Person for the Job Performance appraisals often represent the only

The Right Person for the Job

Performance appraisals often represent the only documented evidence of a person’s past performance. Thus, it is important for the information to be accurate, clear, and interpreted as the appraiser intended. Unfortunately, as noted in the readings for this week, significant subjectivity and ambiguity can be introduced into an appraisal.

You will play the role of an HR recruiter responsible for filling a store-manager vacancy at Union Street Nickel & Dime, a bustling general store that serves as a hub in a highly diverse, artsy community along a river.

Carefully read the job description. For this job, there are two candidates who are currently employed by Union Street Nickel & Dime. You have access to their last performance review as well as additional, unsolicited comments from customers. Note that the performance reviews were completed by two different managers.

Submit a written response identifying which candidate you will promote and the specific reasons why.

Job Description

Position: Store Manager

Reports to: District Manager

Overall Responsibility: Oversee daily store operations and manage inventory and product displays, cashiers, and stock clerks. Ensure a welcoming atmosphere and positive buying experience for customers in this boutique-store setting, which is also a hotspot in this highly diverse and alternative the community.

Operational Elements:

Open and securely close the store at posted times.

Create a weekly staffing chart that ensures continuity of coverage at the front and back of the store.

Address customer complaints in a neighborly manner.

Monitor daily inventory and document weekly inventory needs.

Verify sales and deposit cash daily.

Ensure that expected levels of cleanliness are maintained.

Managerial Elements:

Select and train new stock clerks and cashiers.

Oversee merchandising kiosk displays and front window themes.

Identify new products and trends based on customer interests.

Maintain a high level of staff morale.

Monitor staff performance and conduct staff appraisals annually.

Determine and communicate merit increases.

Monitor staff attendance.

Discipline staff if necessary.

Ensure the Nickel & Dime presence in the neighborhood.

Candidate 1

Name: Cayla Mondello

Age: 33

Current Position: Cashier/Merchandising Specialist

Service in current job: 3 ½ years

Overall Performance Rating: Very Good

Checkout Speed and Accuracy: Cayla is fast with the scanner. Average customer checkout time is one minute. She accurately makes change for cash transactions. She also bags the customer’s purchase. Only on very few occasions does she have a long line at her register.

Closing: Cayla reconciles the cash drawer with receipts and has had unaccounted money left over only twice in one year. She finishes promptly by 6:30 on weekdays and 7:30 on weekends.

Merchandising: Cayla assembles and disassembles display kiosks within 20 minutes per our marketing plans but adds no creative or personalized touches. She cleans up after herself.

Customer Service: Cayla greets customers at the register using the recommended company greeting. When questioned about product features or location, she answers politely and asks appropriate questions to ensure that customer needs are being met. She also converses in Spanish with the increasing number of Hispanic neighbors and customers. She suggests new ideas and improvements to current systems to help with efficiency and productivity. For example, she recommended a new type of cordless scanner that allowed for faster and easier scanning of large, bulky products that could not be lifted onto the counter.

Attendance: 80%. The absences were due to a surgical procedure in October of the previous year. She is often late in the morning and leaves promptly at the end of her shifts because she takes public transportation to and from work and is at the mercy of public-transport challenges. She is the sole caregiver to a 2 year old.

Summary: Cayla is fast, accurate, and neat. She is not flexible about changing shifts or hours on short notice. Being bilingual is an asset. Cayla’s efficiency is important given the slim margins in the industry.

Customer Feedback:

Carla is certainly efficient. But I don’t patronize Nickel & Dime for efficiency. I live in the neighborhood. Moved here from Seattle a year ago. This place is a melting pot. I come here looking for like-minded people.

I live a few doors down from Nickel & Dime. I work from home and like to stroll and visit with neighbors at the end of the day. I wish that Cayla would chill out once in a while and keep the place open longer. I mean, we might actually buy more stuff!

My green card arrived just last week. I am happy to be here from Guatemala legally and really glad that I can talk to Carla without having a translator. I’m going to tell my friends.

Candidate 2

Name: Kyle Cramer

Age: 63

Current Position: Cashier/Merchandising Specialist

Service in current job: 4 ½ years

Overall Performance Rating: Very Good

Checkout Speed and Accuracy: Kyle is not especially fast with the scanner. He accurately makes change for cash transactions. He only bags the customer’s purchase if asked. He always asks the customer if they have brought their own bags, as he is passionate about conserving resources. He frequently has a long line at his register because he tends to engage in neighborhood small talk with customers.

Closing: Kyle reconciles the cash drawer with receipts. Every once in a while, Kyle has unaccounted-for leftover cash. He closes operations on time both on weekdays (6:30) and weekends (7:30) but usually hangs around with neighbors and regular customers and doesn’t lock up the store at precise hours.

Merchandising: Kyle is meticulous when assembling kiosk and front window displays. Sometimes he is slow to get back to the register when involved in merchandising. He has an aesthetic flair and is particular about how the merchandising looks, which sometimes does not align with the marketing plans. However, many of the local customers comment positively on the artistry of his displays, especially the seasonal window displays at high-volume times.

Customer Service: Kyle interacts with customers in his own quirky way. When questioned about product features or location he often offers his own opinion about product quality, artistry, and value.

Attendance: 90%. Absences are due to Kyle’s involvement in Rainbow Coalition events, which occur on the same block as the store. He is often late in the morning, as he meets neighbors and regular customers across the street at the Union Coffee shop.

Summary: Kyle’s strength is not speed or efficiency at checkout. He is flexible and willingly changes his hours at short notice. Even when unsolicited, he interjects his opinions about products or town events. He does have a large network of neighbors, regular customers, and art lovers who tend to congregate at the store or wave as they go by.

Customer Feedback:

Kyle is a personality worth driving to just to experience. His knowledge of the products is deep, and he generously shares his personal opinion. I appreciate that. He does tend to get carried away, but I can redirect him, and he is cool with that.

This dude is an asset to the entire gay/lesbian community. I love him and will buy anything he recommends.

For those souls who are tired of the “big box”, impersonal warehouses…this place is a dream and Kyle is “Oz”.